Posted Jan. 3, 2022. Past health advisories and alerts are archived for historical purposes and are not maintained or updated.
SRHD’s Immunization & Assessment Program (IAP) has been made aware that there may still be some confusion around who can have a COVID-19 booster dose and the appropriate timing of the dose.
Guidelines for each of the three brands of COVID-19 Vaccines from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC):
| Vaccine completed for primary series | Authorized age for vaccine booster | Interval between last primary dose (including additional dose, when applicable) and booster dose | Number of doses | Injection volume and product that may be given as booster dose*† |
| Pfizer-BioNTech | ≥12 years | ≥5 months | 1 | 0.3 mL Pfizer-BioNTech*, or 0.25 mL Moderna, or 0.5 mL Janssen† |
| Moderna | ≥18 years | ≥5 months | 1 | 0.25 mL Moderna, or 0.3 mL Pfizer-BioNTech, or 0.5 mL Janssen† |
| Janssen | ≥18 years | ≥2 months | 1 | 0.5 mL Janssen†, or 0.3 mL Pfizer-BioNTech, or 0.25 mL Moderna |
| *Only Pfizer BioNTech can be used as a booster dose in those ages 12–17 years. †Use of an mRNA vaccine for a booster dose is preferred over Janssen vaccine. | ||||
People who received three (3) doses of mRNA vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna) as part of their primary series due to being immunocompromised can now receive a booster dose.
Vaccination is especially important for those that are immunocompromised. To ensure they complete their primary series (including additional dose) and booster dose in the most effective timeline, please follow the example and table below.
If an individual aged 12+ received a 3 dose primary series due to being immunocompromised, they should receive a booster dose, or 4th dose, at least 5 months after their last primary dose. Immune compromised people who received Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine as their primary series should not receive an additional primary dose, but should receive a booster two months after their primary dose of J&J.
The booster dose injection volume should follow the table above.
For example, “Sally” is 45 years old and immunocompromised. She received her first dose of Pfizer vaccine on June 1, 2021 and her second dose on June 23, 2021. Due to her immunocompromising condition, she received a third dose of Pfizer July 23, 2021. This completed her primary series of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination. She is then eligible for a booster dose (or 4th dose) on or after December 23, 2021, which was at least 5 months after the last dose of her primary series.
| Vaccine manufacturer | Age indication | Vial cap color denoting formulation | Dose | Injection volume | Number of doses in primary series (interval between doses) | Additional primary dose in immunocompromised people (interval since second dose) |
| Pfizer-BioNTech | 5–11 years | Orange | 10 µg | 0.2 mL | 2 (21 days) | 1 (≥28 days) |
| Pfizer-BioNTech | ≥12 years | Purple or gray | 30 µg | 0.3 mL | 2 (21 days) | 1 (≥28 days) |
| Moderna | ≥18 years | Not applicable | 100 µg | 0.5 mL | 2 (28 days) | 1 (≥28 days) |
| Janssen | ≥18 years | Not applicable | 5×1010 viral particles | 0.5 mL | 1 (Not applicable) | Not applicable |
For more information on primary series and booster vaccines, please visit these sites:
